Coal Aston
Coal Aston is in the county of Derbyshire, in England. It is by the town of Dronfield.
| Coal Aston | |
|---|---|
 Looking east along Eckington Road in the direction of Chesterfield | |
  Coal Aston Location within Derbyshire | |
| OS grid reference | SK362795 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | DRONFIELD |
| Postcode district | S18 |
| Dialling code | 01246 |
| Police | Derbyshire |
| Fire | Derbyshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
Geography
Coal Aston sits on a ridge overlooking Sheffield and Dronfield. To the south there is Frith Wood, which is made up of mixed woodland rich in many species of fauna and flora and is thought to be an ancient wood. The wood is now a conservation area and although it is spelt Frith Wood on, for example, Ordnance Survey maps many locals call it Firth wood as in the neighbouring Firthwood Road. Famous hunter and anthropologist William Hale used this woodland to perform a series of training exercises before expeditions to New Hanover. The name Coal Aston is due to the a number of walk in coal mine in the area. There are many stone built houses and terraces dating back to the mining era during the 19th century. That last mine Sicklebrook Colliery on Sicklebrook Lane (off Eckington Road) closed in 1938 There still an Aston Hall in the centre of the village. The large Victorian village school has now been converted into a private house.
Local Amenities
Coal Aston has a Methodist church on Eckington Road, a chapel, several local shops on Barnard Avenue and a village hall. It is also close to the Coal Aston airstrip at Apperknowle and has bus services to Sheffield and Chesterfield run by Stagecoach, and TM Travel. The Victorian Primary school was closed and is now converted to a house.
Annually a well dressing is held on the site of the former village pond opposite the Royal Oak (hence the local nickname of "The Pond").
The Village Hall is located next to the Royal Oak and was originally built by the villagers, and has since been rebuilt and modernised funded, in part, by the Millennium Lottery . The annual Village Gala held early July based at The Village Hall is a Coal Aston highlight. Recent years have seen an RAF Historic Flight flypast as a feature. The Village Hall hosts regular plays with the local acting group having been based there for many years. Popular with the local community are the regular "Coal Aston Live" music events which have featured a good many professional artistes from the folk music scene and wider afield. These include local pop star Dave Berry and The Cruisers, comedians Phil Cool and Richard Digance many nationally recognised folk musicians ranging from Jake Thackray to Kerfuffle, Jez Lowe and in 2009 the late Dave Swarbrick and his 1980's band Whippersnapper . Kiki Dee and Carmelo Luggeri appeared at the Village Hall in 2011 and in March 2017 Los Pacaminos featuring 80's Pop Legend Paul Young are booked to appear, Kiki and Paul both appeared on stage at the 1985 Wembley Live Aid Concert.
Sports Facilities
Behind the Village Hall are playing fields, a hard tennis court and a bowling green, which is home to the local bowling club with its club house and separate changing rooms for the football pitches.
The local cricket club has its home ground in neighbouring Dronfield.
Next to these sports facilities there is a park and a big field for the local children to play safely and is secluded.
Pubs
Coal Aston is known locally for its many pubs including "The Cross Daggers", "The Yew Tree", "The Chequers" and the "Royal Oak" (locally known as "The Pond").
Shops
Barnard Avenue in Coal Aston hosts a number of local shops including a butcher noted for its hot pork sandwiches, a greengrocery known for its fresh produce and a bakery known for doing a fine scone. There is also a gift and card shop
Next to the shops is a patch of grass on which no ball games are allowed to be played. This rule has caused some controversy over the years and caused tension between the local residents and children wishing to play.
Dyche Lane, the main route from the village to Sheffield has a Petrol station which is also now a [Spar] store and [Total] petrol station. Next door is the "Ferndale Garden centre", with another one called "New Leaf Nurseries" at the bottom of the hill on the boundary with Sheffield.
A mile along Eckington Road from the village on the way to Eckington and Apperknowle is "Wards Garden Centre".
The local Post Office, a butcher, two newsagents and the old Co-op have closed down over the last 2 decades. Replaced by a large hairdressers
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Coal Aston. |